Avatar: Korra and the Master Kitsune
by The Swordslinger
Summary: Chakraless Naruto. No chakra, no jutsus, just herculean strength and taijutsu to help him deal with the problems at Republic City and the new arrival. How he got there is a mystery, why he's there is also another, but he's intent on helping his new friends. Naruto x Korra and Asami. Slight Mako bashing. Chapter 1 is a prologue.
1. Chapter 1

I OWN NOTHING

I wish I owned Korra - NOT in THAT way, you pervert! - mainly because I loved Last Airbender, but my nut-sack was kicked when they forced drama into the show.

Small rant: What the FUCK, Mako?! You first had Asami, who has MILF qualities, and then leave her for Korra, only to then go back for Asami in season 2 when things don't look so hot and then back to Korra?! I know this site is prone to that with both girls jumping the guy's pants - Which means I'll avoid having Naruto breaking hearts and getting laid like he's some god/Gary-Stu at any cost but if I do, do kick my ass, readers - but Mako, you just jump to whatever girl is conveniently near you. What're you, Sasuke 2.0? ... Oh god, now I can't unsee that!

**XXXXXX**

As Korra walked around the districts of Republic City, wondering when or where she could find someone who didn't remind her of the corruption of the entire city as well as Tenzin's whereabouts, she heard something coming her way, and fast. She instantly bolted to her side to avoid a flying thug who had been sent out of an alley. Her curiosity got the best of her and she entered the place to see what had caused that. The Avatar's eyes widened when she noticed a lone man standing in the alley which led to a small dojo with a few kids in white pants and gi standing at the door.

The man was blond with his hair slicked back, had a tanned skin of a golden tone, whiskered cheeks, and deep blue eyes of a darker shade than most water tribe people. His outfit also did make him stand out, he wore a white gi which was pulled inside a pair of reddish dark orange hakama pants with a black belt keeping said pants up, and blood red bandages around his arms, also covering his knuckles for fighting. The man was also buff but not overly so, showing he did train himself but didn't abuse his training to compensate anything, showing the body of a true martial artist who mixed in strength and skill. And both strength and skill showed when an earth bender stepped forward and threw a fist up, launching a rock at the blond man.

The martial artist let out a breath in a small shout of power and slammed his right fist on the rock, shattering it to dust. Another earth-bender threw himself into the air and covered his body with rocks to crush the master, only to gasp as the blond turned, easily grabbed the airborne man and Judo-slammed him to the ground with enough force to shatter the armor. The blond then took a step back and maintained a perfect pose while doing so as he got into a defensive stance.

"You go, sensei!" the kids cheered.

"Kick their butts!"

"Show them your Rasenken (Spiral Fist)!"

"Hit 'em hard!"

Korra smiled as she could see why the kids had so much admiration for this tank of a man. But her smile turned into pleasant surprise when he spoke with a chuckle and a small, calm and warm smile to his students, "A master doesn't go overboard to bring pain to those who don't deserve it. Martial Arts are meant to protect the weak, not to unleash anger on others." He then smirked at the thugs, "But considering you are trying to take down my dojo and drive out my students for money, I guess I can't hold back."

Another bender, this time a fire-bender, roared in anger as he threw a fiery punch at the martial artist. The Avatar watched in horror as she knew the man would get badly burned, but before she could use her water bending to put down the fire, the master gave a powerful step forward that made the ground tremble a bit. The blond man threw his right fist forward in a corkscrew motion, but Korra could see much more in the knuckles of the man. The sheer skill, the way he moved his hand, it was as if his very fist was a maelstrom of its own. Her eyes almost popped out of her sockets as the man punched right through the fire and with his hand and bandages still intact managed to break the fire-bender's knuckles and hand with insane precision.

The other benders started to step back, "W-What are you made of you freak?!"

The master chuckled and grabbed a rock from the ground with a light cackle to his voice, "I'm this dojo's master, I can't lose to the likes of you when I got people here who want to learn from me." With those words he effortlessly crushed the rock in his hand, turning it into dust, "Now this is the part where you run off and never return here."

The thugs instantly did that, leaving Korra to whistle until, "Ow!" she bumped into something hard.

"And you are?" the blond man asked the girl who smacked her face into his strong as steel torso.

Korra looked up sheepishly at the man whose muscles alone told her he could fight off an ox without much effort, and by what she saw he was far stronger than he looked. "Umm... I'm just passing by, sorry, kinda saw the whole thing and got interested."

The blond chuckled, "Well, if you don't mind me being bold, you could try a few classes if you're that interested, if not then that's fine. I can see you're pretty strong for your age." He said motioning to Korra's toned arms.

Korra raised a brow, "Actually, I don't think I need it, I already got my own masters... But I'll admit, that last punch of yours was pretty amazing. How did you do it?"

The blond chuckled, "Sorry, but it's a special technique of mine. I mastered it through a very difficult training trip... Trust me, it doesn't matter if you're talented or not, that punch of mine is not easy to master unless you dedicate a good chunk of your life into it."

Korra wanted to retort, knowing she was very good at martial arts, but the way the man spoke told her he meant every word. She gave an inner sigh and spoke up, "So, what style do you teach?"

The master smiled, "It's my own style. I made it to fight off any kind of enemy with one's wits and strength, to get used to danger and know how to move around it. I really don't have a name for it, but it could be called an all-defense style against anything, even benders."

Korra's eyes widened, "You're with the anti-bender movement?"

The martial artist laughed loudly, "Hahahahaha! No, of course not! I couldn't care less about those guys or the benders. I just want to teach these kids how to defend themselves, that's all."

The kids stood up for their master, "Yeah, Naruto-sensei is a good guy too!"

"He once beat up some thieves who assaulted an old lady's shop!"

"There was once a time he lifted a boulder to help my kitty!"

"A sword master and a fire-bender once tried to force people to pay them and he beat them up without getting hit!"

Korra chuckled, "Okay, okay... He's really strong and really cool... Heh, I'm actually considering training here if not for Tenzin."

Naruto chuckled too, "I wouldn't mind you joining."

Soon the kids started to let out "Ooooo" sounds and tease the two, making Korra blush and Naruto sigh in mild embarrassment. He then extended his hand to her, "Name's Uzumaki Naruto, Naruto for short and friends, sensei if you join."

Korra chuckled, "I'm Korra, and sorry but I don't have any money on me."

Naruto hummed, hand on his chin before his eyes sparkled, "Well, first lesson's free. It's to get you used to it and see if you can handle training under me."

The water tribe girl shook her head, "Actually, I was looking for another master."

The blond sighed in defeat, "Okay, fair enough. So, what're you looking for?"

"Sensei, go with her." a little girl said, pushing Naruto forward and making Korra blush as she had her face once again introduced to the blond man's muscular torso. Not bad, not bad at all she had to admit.

Naruto looked back as Korra instantly pushed herself off him, "What for?"

"You should always be a gentleman and help a lady. And she's pretty, you could get a date."

Before Naruto had any chance to reply, the kids started to cheer and even chant for him to go with the dark-skinned girl. Both looked at each other and sighed with Naruto rubbing the back of his head as he spoke, "So, Korra... Since my students are this insistant, mind if I give you a tour?"

The girl considered it, she did need to get to Tenzin in his island. She smiled, "Sure, I'd finally get to where I want to."

Naruto smiled, "Good, follow me."

And with that, perhaps the strangest friendship started.

**XXXXXX**

**And that's my rap!**

**Yes, I did base his outfit in Geese Howard's from his first boss battle in Fatal Fury (Cheap as Hell, though). Now, with this I am sure I wanna do this. A chakraless Naruto has rarely been done, and while I don't have any proof to claim being the first, I want to make it what it should be: Naruto fighting foes with vastly superior powers with his bare hands, some good martial arts, and his always positive attitude.**

**And a guilty pleasure of mine is Korra. Toned body, dark skin, sass... Do want! But, sadly, she got the same treatment as Samus Aran in Other M and Ripley in her fourth movie: she's seen as a female character, not a character. By that I mean they shove bins of garbage about how she's a strong female character when you don't need to, she's already a character, she can kick ass, it doesn't matter what she is just what she does. But no, some asshole and some morons decided to try to Meyers and Kishimoto it up.**

**A good reason for me to put Naruto in here with Korra is, well, obvious: they're both the same if you think about it. Good start for their series that fall flat when a troubled boy comes into their life and the writer tries to put drama around them, loss of powers and being put as inept before "superior" foes who abuse some Deus Ex Machina bullshit power, and being actually likeable only for the plot to make them tools, pitiable tools.**

**Well, that's the prologue, hope you liked it. And if you wonder how Naruto got in this... I'm not telling until much, much later.**

**Swordslinger out!**


	2. Chapter 2

I OWN NOTHING

If you ever wonder why I'm still not in a padded room, let me be blunt. Whatever made you think I didn't steal a computer from the doctor's office? Now, time for my meds, they'll help me write this chapter.

**XXXXXX**

"Whoa!"

Naruto stepped and stumbled onto a wall with his back cornered as he watched his attacked nearing on him, sniffing his scent with their eyes centered on his, only to slime his right whiskered cheek with her tongue. Now, while he wouldn't mind a lady doing so and seriously be unable to be blamed by any man for that, this wasn't the kind of lady he'd like on top of him. Korra for her part laughed as she pulled back her polar bear dog Naga from the blond martial artist.

Silently keeping her chuckles to herself, she gave the man a handkerchief to clean himself, "Seems Naga truly likes you."

Naruto sighed and wiped his face clean, "Feeling's a bit one-sided, I must say."

Korra gave him a raised brow, "Why's that?"

Naruto shrugged and kept a calm face, "I'm just not good with dogs. You could say I had some bad experience. Hell, when I was a kid I practically fought one and its owner, so I usually don't think of them as very friendly towards me." He rubbed the back of his head and looked up, contemplating the memory in his mind, "It sure was a weird fight, though."

The girl smiled and grabbed her friend's muzzle, "Well, Naga's not the kind to attack others, unless they deserve it." Receiving a nod from the polar bear dog Korra proceeded to caress Naga's face while cooing at the canine, "Oh, but you're such a cutie and always ready to help others, aren't you, Naga? Aren't you?" The large canine whimpered at the treatment, making Korra chuckle again, "All right, sorry for that, girl. Anyway, we finally have a guide."

"I'm taking her too?" Naruto asked incredulously as he aimed a finger at the polar bear dog.

Korra smiled, "Nope, she's taking us."

Moments later Naruto felt awfully awkward as he sat behind Korra. Now, let not be said he disliked being close to a girl, in fact he could enjoy having his arms wrapped around this actually beautiful and exotic water tribe girl. His only problem was the saddle in between his legs and the polar bear dog moving at a moderate speed, not a run but way faster than a walk for Naga. But he had to admit the trip was faster than on foot, didn't require a vehicle, and was free. However, he was sure that an animal this big walking around could bother some people and soon attention would be drawn to Korra. If the police had beef with someone said person couldn't say they had a good day.

"So, where do you want to go?" Naruto asked as Naga moved around the streets, making a few people and their vehicles skid to a halt if the canine got close to them.

"Air Temple Island or wherever I can find Tenzin, you know, the son of Avatar Aang." The current Avatar said with a smile aimed at her new friend.

Naruto scratched the back of his head, wincing as he spoke up, "Boy, you sure have a weird way of making requests. Couldn't have asked for something harder, could you?"

Korra stopped Naga and turned to her guide, "Why? I mean, I know Tenzin's busy and all, but why couldn't we just go and meet him?"

The blond raised his hand, using it to list his reasons, "One, guys like me who have been in a few fights with thugs aren't well seen around the police force. Two, the chief of police and the guards around Tenzin's workplace, the city hall, would kick us out if we went in uninvited. Three, Air Temple Island is a private place and not many people are let in unless they got the right connections. Four, I'm a simple martial arts teacher with a small dojo, my word in politics or the high society is kind of non-existent. Five, paperwork scares me."

Korra snorted, "Paperwork? Really?"

"I blame our schools, I hate math, and I'm only good at reading a few novels if they got adventures or action, not boring politic talks or something educational." Naruto listed with his other hand. He then crossed his arms as if feeling undignified, "It's not that I'm stupid, I just don't think I'm able to deal with boring stuff, norms, regulations and all the crap they force you to go through when a direct face to face meeting is all that's needed to get something said and done."

The water tribe girl grinned, "Feeling's mutual, which is why I want to meet Tenzin. And I'll meet him face to face, so don't worry."

Naruto looked at her, whatever frown he had melting as he smiled, "Heh, you sure seem confident… Fine, I'll take your word. Anyway, if Tenzin's really around the city hall then the fastest to get to him is…" The master's words were cut when the duo heard something breaking. Turning around they saw a trio of men in fancy suits, a fancier car, and a terrified couple of elderly non-fancy shopkeepers shivering as the thugs moved closer to them. "You don't mind waiting, do you?" Naruto asked as he returned to the ground and moved toward the gangsters.

Korra grinned and got down too, "Actually, I do. Let me join you to kill some time."

Naruto nodded at the girl, '_She may be a water bender judging by her clothes and her pet… If not, she still looks strong enough to hold her own._' He then turned to the men and spoke to them with a finger aimed at the trio of gangsters, "What seems to be the problem? I thought you triad punks were low, but you're actually picking fights with people who can't even fight back?"

The gangsters turned around, glaring daggers, until noticing who it was that spoke to them. "Oh fuck, it's you!" their leader, apparently a water bender, cried as he stepped back.

"You know these guys?" Korra asked as she readied herself for battle.

Naruto smiled and grabbed his neck with one hand, cracking the joints into place as he spoke, "My dojo may be small and in an alley, but it still makes money that these guys want. In this city if you don't want problems you gotta make sure others don't want trouble with you." He then slammed his fists together and gave the thugs a grin, "These punks, however, just make it too easy to have fun."

"Oi, Uzumaki, don't ignore us!" One of the punks, a water bender, cried as he pulled out water from a pouch, "This time you're not getting away."

Naruto chuckled and turned to the Avatar, "So says the nicely dressed gentleman. What say you, milady?"

Korra gave him a grin and slammed her fist into her palm, "I'm never going down without a fight."

"Get them!" the water bender cried as his companions rushed, one spinning in the air with fire in his leg and the other sending two pumpkin sized rocks at the blond man.

The leader of the group sent a jet of water at Naruto while Korra stepped closer to the fire bender. Before the fiery kick could connect with Naruto, the girl managed to catch one of the rocks and gripped it hard to use it as a shield against the kick; in that same instant Naruto back-handed the other rock flying his way, using the motion of his arm to change its trajectory. The next second Korra pushed her arm up, forcing the kicker's leg skyward as she spun on her heels to deliver a sweeping kick; Naruto took in a deep breath as he stomped on the ground hard enough to crack it and threw his palm at the jet of water, the force of the impact being like a shotgun blast that served to sent the water flying everywhere but in either of his or Korra's clothes. Naruto then dashed at the earth-bender, body curled and fists up to avoid projectiles or underground attacks, he jumped the last yards as a spike almost nailed his legs; Korra for her part used the water and threw it at the other water bender, encasing his body in ice. The master finished the fight by slamming his right fist in the earth bender's gut, forcing him to curl down to have Naruto's left fist upper-cut him and send him flying back into unconsciousness.

The water bender girl whistled and clapped, "Not bad for a guy in a dress."

Naruto winced and turned at her with a blush on his cheeks, "It's not a dress! These are hakama pants! They're supposed to be baggy… and manly, mostly manly!" he shouted undignified as he pulled at his dark orange piece of cloth to show that indeed they were pants. Korra just laughed at his outburst, making him palm his face in further embarrassment, but before he could retort he watched the fire bender stirring and making a move, "Korra, behind you!" He shouted and raced to help her, only to see Korra beat him to the punch by blocking the fire with her hand, no, she bending the fire! His shock grew as she spun it in a wheel of flames and shot it back at the mook, making the man scream like a little girl and curl in a ball. Korra smirked, she had the grown man scared that he didn't notice she only made a circle of fire around him.

A martial artist could process this with no problem, he had no effort to make to deduce who Korra was now that he saw her both water bend and then fire bend. But before he could reply someone tugged on his hakama, "Sensei, you girlfriend's the Avatar." Said a little girl with short black hair and an uniform from his dojo.

The Avatar and the martial arts master blushed, "We're not… He/She is not… I mean… Please stop…" they said in perfect uniform, face palming at the end.

Soon, however, a large shadow surrounded them. Looking up the duo saw a blimp, a police blimp with several metal benders jumping down. Korra grinned, "I've never seen metal bending before."

Naruto sighed, "You soon will wish you didn't." He gave another tired sigh, scratching the back of his head, "There's always a bunch of cops around when you don't need them."

"Once again causing problems, Uzumaki?" a voice asked behind the duo.

"You know the chief's been dying for a date with you, right?" said another.

"She's got the cuffs and ropes to tie you up, but not in the way you'd like."

The blond turned to his new friend, introducing her to the detectives behind him, "Korra, these are Lu and Gang. Now, don't let their appearance fool you as normal detectives, it's their mustaches that do all the thinking." The two mustached detectives had large grins that easily disappeared at Naruto's comment. Korra for her part laughed at the joke.

She put her hands on her hips, feeling happy of having done a job well, "Well, detectives, you have nothing to worry about, the criminals have been apprehended with no problem at all."

"Not all of them." Lu said as he and a metal bender approached the blond who sighed and put his hands up, "You two are under arrest."

"What?!" Korra cried in disbelief and slight anger, "You can't be serious, we stopped these guys from forcing these people to pay them money they don't deserve! They're gangsters and attacked us first."

Naruto spoke up, "It's the law, we can't have fights and destroy property around here, so we're gonna be forced to answer some questions. Don't worry, the chief's used to seeing me."

Gang chuckled, stroking his mustache, "Feisty little girlfriend you got yourself, sensei…" he said, adding a mocking tone to 'sensei' in order to make fun of Naruto.

"You know…" Naruto started as one of the cops put handcuffs on him, "I am considering my options. Korra's right, we did stop these guys from stealing money, and you and I know I don't like you two very much since you cops are always arresting me for being into fights that some dead beat punk starts… I am considering how mad I want the chief to be at me if I break your noses and rip off your mustaches."

Instantly the two detectives stepped back. Korra, for her part, was curious, "What happens if you do punch them in the face?" she asked with a fist in her palm to crack her knuckles.

Naruto smiled, "You'd get to see the chief close and personal, but you really wouldn't want that. She'd lock you up for a long time… I'm starting to think it may be worth it." He mumbled the last part to himself.

"How's this fair? We basically did their job for them and are now getting arrested?" Korra asked with anger.

The blond smiled and moved closer to her, "Welcome to Republic City." He then whispered for her to hear only, "If you are who I think you are, we won't be locked for long." Korra looked at her new friend with some skepticism but decided to trust him.

XXXXXX

Lin Beifong was known for many things, and one of them was not being kind to those who entered her interrogation room, and far less if they brought guests. Despite being in her fifties already, just having passed by her forties, she did command respect and fear on those who she looked at. These two, however, were picking their ear in the master's case and boringly tapping their nails on the metal table in the water tribe girl's as she entered the room. Once seeing her Naruto wiped the wax of his ear beneath the table, making Lin decide he would die sooner than later, while the dark skinned girl that was rumored to be the Avatar looked mildly surprised at seeing her before going back to tap her nails on the table, this time trying to make some music. The chief was mad even before she entered the room, so one would understand why the cops on the other side of the one-way mirror turned down the volume of the speaker.

"Have you any idea how hard it is to believe a guy like you can claim so many self-defense situations?" Lin said in an icy voice.

The martial artist sighed, "Listen, it was honest self-defense, they made the first strike."

Lin slammed her hand on the table, startling Korra but not Naruto who was used to this, "Do not let my calm demeanor fool you, Uzumaki!" she shouted with her eyes centered on the blond man's, "I know you since you were a kid, wandering around the streets and pissing off anyone the police should take care of with the excuse of self-defense. You are not a hero. And let me repeat that, you are not a hero, and I won't allow you and some random girl to go around my city acting as vigilantes when I'm the law here. If problem happens, that's why we are here as the police force, you call us and we go to solve the problem."

"A bit too late if you ask me." Korra muttered, soon regretting it as Lin walked to her.

"Listen, missy, we do our job so no civilians are hurt and to avoid property damage, the latter being something your new friend is prone of doing when picking fights with the triads."

Korra narrowed her eyes, "Well, were we supposed to stand by as you arrived after those guys ran off?"

Lin stood up, keeping herself composed, "I know who you are, Avatar. But you don't know how things work around our city or how to move around it. This place isn't like your home at the South Pole, and fighting along the locals isn't going to help you in anything." She shot the martial artist a glare.

"Can we actually take this like rational adults instead of jumping to biased conclusions?" Naruto asked with both hands up in a defensive manner, "How about we start with introductions? Hi, I'm Naruto Uzumaki, I'm twenty years old. I love noodles, my dojo, training, and sparring with strong people. I dislike the triads and getting arrested for fighting them. My hobby's facing the triads every time they try to start trouble with me."

The chief tightened her hand in a fist, "You really like to piss people off, don't you?"

Naruto chuckled, "Come on, chief, you really need to chill. Besides, you and I both know the Avatar is needed. I thought your mother and Avatar Aang were friends."

"Wait, you're Toph's daughter?" Korra asked with a raised brow.

Lin narrowed her eyes dangerously, "That's in the past, and right now I have to take care of you two."

Suddenly, an officer entered the room, saluting his boss, "Chief, Councilman Tenzin has arrived. He wishes to speak with you and the Avatar. He also seems to have paid Uzumaki's fee. He's free to go."

Naruto raised both brows, "What? Why does he want to set me free?"

Lin scoffed, "He surely doesn't want a civilian meddling or divulging rumors. Fine, get out of here, Uzumaki. The Avatar will stay, for now." Naruto waved at her and calmly walked out, leaving the chief to palm her face, "What possessed Tenzin to leave out the one man who seems to trigger every thug's nerves to fight him?"

"The fact he is not the one I'm disappointed at." The councilman said with a stern expression aimed at Korra before giving Lin a kinder smile.

XXXXXX

It was an uneventful walk back home for Naruto. Not much happening except a few cops giving him looks for once again getting into a fight. It was known that if someone started trouble in the city the blond would be fighting the one responsible most of the time. He couldn't say he cared about the fame or the infamy, but the fact still remained that he was a magnet for fights. That or he was born under a strange star. He wondered all this as he returned to his dojo to find some shady guys at the door of his humble home.

"If you're looking to steal anything, all there is in the dojo is a mattress beneath the mats, and some packs of instant noodles." Naruto said truthfully as he held up his hands in fists. The men turned to him, and he noted all of them wore strange outfits, "What's with the masks? Are you guys shy?"

"We heard that the Avatar met you, Mr. Uzumaki." A man with a strange backpack, a mask that showed his mouth and long strands of hair that worked as his mustache said as he moved forward. "There are good words about you, though. How you train others who have no bending, the way you fight benders as an equal and even force them back. You are a great man, a very powerful man who despite having no special gift to abuse like those benders trained to become an even better fighter than even their elite."

Naruto groaned, hands on his hips, "Not you again… Listen, if that Amon sent you again, my answer stands. I will not join him. And for the record, I train benders and non-benders alike. I do not discriminate and teach each person that comes to me equally to defend themselves against anyone, not to pick up fights… Even if I seem to get too much into fights myself." He admitted the last part in a carefree manner as he rubbed the back of his head.

The mustached man stepped forward, "Then what of the oppression those fire benders created in the hundred years before Avatar Aang put a stop to them, or how the ones who rebelled against Fire Lord Zuko killed many families to get what they claimed to be theirs by right?" He extended a hand to Naruto, "Amon plans to stop that, to make us benders and non-benders equals. The Avatar is a joke, and all that the previous ones ever accomplished were pretty words but no end to the wars or the oppression."

The blond sighed, "It's the human nature, there's no-one to blame but ourselves. Even if Amon made everyone equal, what says it'll stay that way for long before some jackass wants to have more than another?" He moved to his house, ignoring the masked men, "I care not for this kind of fight. This is the Avatar's business, not ours. If you have problems with others, accept the problems you don't want to see."

One of the masked men growled, "Arrogant fool!" he shouted and rushed at Naruto, determined to block his chi points with quick jabs. The lieutenant tried to stop the soldier, only to watch Naruto grab the man's arm in a lock, twisting it with his own so the blond man's free hand was quickly slammed into the mask, cracking it. Another punch destroyed the mask, and a third one sent the soldier falling down into unconsciousness.

As the man fell, Naruto scoffed, "Equalists or not, you need to learn that I don't want trouble. If you try anything again, I will become trouble for you." He crossed his arms and stared at the other soldiers, challenging them to come with his stern glance, "I can respect that you want to be seen as people who can be respected by what you are, that you don't want others to walk over you because they were born lucky. But this is my life, if Amon has a problem with that, he can face me himself if he wants my answer." He non-verbally told them his answer by slamming his fist into his palm.

"We'll meet again." The lieutenant said as he and his soldiers pulled smoke bombs and after the explosions and clouds disappeared, the blond was left alone in his alley.

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Why don't they ever bring something nice? I thought guys like them would try champagne or the likes to liven my day to convince me… I'd still refuse, but I'd like a gift for once." He then entered his home, and couldn't help but chuckle at the sandbag hanging from the ceiling along some extra training equipment and a new, soft futon mat. "Well, that's a start. My answer will still be no, though." He said and gave the bag a punch, watching it rock back and forth. "At least my students will benefit from this."

XXXXXX

"Kick, punch, block!"

Naruto stood tall as one of his students, a young boy with brown messy hair, tried to sweep him off his feet with his leg aimed at the man's ankle. The kid managed to get Naruto down on one knee due to his leg connected with the blond master's knee and bending it, allowing the kid to punch the taller man in his exposed abdomen. Then the boy put both arms up to hid his head behind them, being pushed back by a palm strike from Naruto. That's when the kid's luck ran out and he stumbled on his feet, falling back.

A few of the kids laughed, until Naruto called to them, "Enough! Do not mock your friends. Li did better than before, and in all honesty, he did give a good kick. However, Li, you need to keep your stance as much as you can with your legs spread in order to balance your center of gravity in your stomach, or else you will fall no matter how good your block is." Naruto said as he helped the young boy, who nodded at him and bowed. Naruto smiled and bowed back before turning to the others, "All right, now we'll move to see how you chain your punches. It's the basics; we'll just see how you move with them in your own way."

"Do you mean we get to use your new equipment?" a girl with curly black hair and green eyes, an earth-bender, asked hopefully.

Naruto nodded, "That's why I have it." He half-lied with a smile.

"Mind if I give a few swings?"

A new voice asked, making Naruto turn in surprise, "Korra?"

"You didn't think a councilman and the chief of police will help you get rid of me, did you?" the girl asked with a cocky smirk.

Naruto chuckled, "I was hoping not. But I certainly didn't expect you to appear here right now… I kinda expected Tenzin to be mad at you."

Korra gave a sheepish laugh, "He was, but I convinced him to let me stay and finally train my air bending. And, hey… why are the kids looking at me like that?" she asked as the children surrounded her, looking at the water tribe girl with beaming eyes.

"Sensei, it's the Avatar!"

"She looks prettier than in the paper!"

"I thought she'd sound gruffer in real life."

Naruto chuckled and advanced through his students, "All right, everyone, that's enough. Let Korra speak… But I do have to ask, why does everyone know who you are?"

Korra blinked, "You're kidding, right? My stay in here has been made known throughout the entire city… the radio stations and all the papers are abusing this."

"I don't have a radio, and I am in the need to save some money if I want a bigger place, so I don't buy the paper." Naruto explained, "So, what brings you here then?"

Korra gave him a perky smile, "I barely managed to escape Tenzin with some help from his wife to visit you and..." her smile turned into a grin as she got her fists up, "I'd like a few classes myself."

The blond blinked, "I thought you wanted to train with Tenzin."

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him." The girl said with a grin.

Naruto sighed, before letting out a smile of his own, "Classes start at noon and end before lunch, the uniform must be paid by yourself, and you shall refer to me as sensei. Other than that, the only thing to discuss is the payment but considering this is the first class it's for free this time."

Korra grinned and threw aside her boots, standing in the center of the dojo, "Actually, I was hoping for the advanced class considering I'm pretty strong already, with or without bending."

Naruto chuckled, "Don't get cocky. I'll see to that." He said as he moved to the mats and stood a few feet away from Korra, tightened his bandages on his hands, and readied his fists as Korra did the same. The kids grew ecstatic at seeing their sensei face none other than the Avatar and started to cheer, some of them even jumping in the background. Korra observed Naruto's pose, his left fist and right fist were both up in a defensive manner, but unlike that of pro-bending specialists, his arms and elbows were pushed slightly further forward.

"So, which are the rules?" she asked as she got into her own fighting stance.

"No bending, kinda obvious considering these are martial arts; no groin or breast shots, give your opponent the chance to stand up if they fall, and the first one to make the other fall three times wins." Naruto said as he and Korra circled around each other in the small dojo. It was at least big enough for a one-on-one fight, but the kids had to sit in one side.

And then, it started as Naruto shouted "Hajime!" and both fighters rushed at each other.

Korra moved in for a hook at Naruto's side, only to watch as he simply spun his body ninety degrees to his side to avoid her strike effortlessly and just by letting her miss her punch he was able to stand behind her. She was then shoved forward, stumbling and about to hit the wall had she not turned around and used her arms to break the impact and bounce herself back at the blond. She treated the blond to a few of her kicks, aiming the first one at his head, and he managed to block it with one arm and the other used for support. Korra grinned as her leg was pushed back, only to shock Naruto as she managed to balance her limb and send another kick at him, forcing him to block again, and then a third time. Naruto widened his eyes a bit as he was losing his balance from the consecutive strikes. To Korra's shock, Naruto didn't dare to fall, he lunged at her now. He grabbed her kicking leg, wrapping it around an arm while the other snaked around her waist and before Korra knew it, both her and the martial artist were sent flying backwards. The Avatar hit her back hard on the mats while Naruto managed to break his fall.

The kids cheered, "You go, sensei!"

He chuckled, "Not bad… You're really skilled, but I've got a bit more experience."

Korra smiled as she got up, rubbing her back, "Well, I guess I better step up my game, and you're not bad for letting little kids beat you up."

Naruto let out a small smile, "It helps them know how to fight bigger opponents, and it helps me get used to strikes, it's a win-win."

"Well, I still have one more chance and that's all I need to win."

"Let's see then." Naruto said as he changed his pose, his arms pulled closer to his body but with his hands opened. The water tribe girl knew this meant trouble, but couldn't hold back a grin at it. The master for his part saw it fair to give some advice, "You're far too much on the offensive, Korra, try to keep and stay your ground. If all you do is attack me, you'll become easy to predict and I'll take you down again."

Korra remained silent, taking in the martial artist's words. He was right, the reason she fell in the first round was because she didn't stop attacking him and that gave him the advantage. She then got an idea, "Hey, do you know of a way to move around attacks? I mean, the way you moved when you avoided my punch, you used it to attack me."

"What of it?" Naruto asked, lowering his guard for a bit.

She grinned, "I'm having a bit of trouble with air bending, but the way you moved is like it and yet different."

The blond raised a brow, "I just adapt to my fights, that's my style."

Korra beamed, "That's what I wanted to hear." She said and rushed at the blond once again, trading blows as an idea formed in her head.

XXXXXX

Meanwhile, back in Air Temple Island a man that could be instantly identified by the blue arrow tattoo on his head sat peacefully by his wife's side as he took a sip of tea, "So, she really did go meet that master, didn't she?" he asked the woman who carried their fourth child.

She gave him a smile, "You promised to not be angry, besides, from what I hear he may be good to help her take out some stress after what happened today."

Tenzin growled, "She burned an invaluable piece of my father's history! If I were her father I would ground her for going to meet with some trouble maker!"

Pema sat back and looked at the ceiling with a smile, "I wonder what was it that my father said when I started dating the man I knew I'd love forever, a man far older than me but that I still fell strongly for."

And with that, she won the discussion. "Fine, she can go meet him, but if she starts to get into trouble because of him, she won't leave her room for a week, Avatar or not." He then turned to the other girls in the room, using a pleading face, "Ikki, Jinora, promise me you won't give me this much problem if you ever get interested in boys."

The girls giggled, "I wonder if Korra's boyfriend is cute." Ikki said with a smile, making Tenzin turn blood red out of anger.

"Oh no, I'm going to meet this ruffian right now!" the father said as he stormed out.

Pema could only sigh, "Good luck, Korra, I know you'll need it."

**XXXXXX**

**And that's my rap!**

**Well, I do feel this chapter was a bit weak, but I will do my best to flesh things out more in the next chapters. This is the beginning after all, and as such I had to work out some settings for the future. Not much left to say or do save that I'll do my best to give this fic some good quality with the best of my skills.**

**Hope you guys liked it. I know most of you will read it after the New Year celebration, Hell, I'm about to go to a party in a few hours, but I wanted you to enjoy my last chapter of this year. With this, any new chapter I pull out will come with the experience of past mistakes and achievements. I hope I can get better as I keep on writing stories as much as I want all of you who have supported me to have a happy new year.**

**Swordslinger out!**


	3. Chapter 3

I OWN NOTHING

I am a nut. I say that partly because I have a rough exterior I like to take off in order to become one with cake, and partly because I tried that but got sent to my padded room by men with tranquilizers.

**XXXXXX**

Fun bad influences

As Korra hit the mats for the third time in a row, she knew the match was over. Naruto stepped forward and extended a hand to her. Once he helped her to her feet, she decided it was time to ask something that had been bugging her for a while.

"Are you even human?" she went straight to the point.

Naruto chuckled, "What makes you say that?"

Korra lifted her hand, counting with her fingers, "Aside from how you don't seem to lose your breath you are insanely strong, strong enough to break rocks with your fists, managed to read every single one of my moves, and I swear you either have eyes hidden around or just sense everything around you."

The blond lifted his hand with three fingers sticking out, "I've trained a lot, and most of my strength comes from knowing how to hit things once I learned out of trial and error how to properly punch rocks." Here he paused to undo his bandages and showed how heavily scarred his knuckles were, the cuts showed he had peeled them off by punching things repeatedly, which made Korra stare in awe, "Second, your moves are too direct so it was easy to see you rushing at me with all you had ever since I watched you fight yesterday." He said with a smirk, making her frown as he chuckled and put his red bandages back on his fists, "And third, well, martial artists train for the sake of being better and protecting something, including themselves. I can't fight if I let my opponents just have their way shooting ice spikes, boulders and jets of flames at me as I rush without stopping like some idiot. Learned that the hard way."

Korra raised a brow, "Just what kind of training did you go through?"

He scratched the back of his head, "Well... I used to want to join the military when I was a kid, and several people from my village were in for the fame, power or just a job. As kids we trained and we made friends, rivals, and learned how to beat each other senseless... After I had a fight with someone I thought was a friend and many things happened I left my village and traveled, learned to fight with new friends as I visited new places, and finally settled here."

Korra knew he was keeping things hidden, but how he said the part about someone he believed to be a friend in a past tense she knew it was something that would either hurt or get him mad if asked. So she went to her next question, "Say, if you are really strong to fight benders, do you think a rematch with me going all out could be different?" She asked with a smirk, desiring the challenge.

Naruto didn't even get to respond as his students pushed him forward. "Go, sensei! It'll be cool! You fighting the Avatar is bound to be awesome! Come on, sensei!" They all chanted as one.

So with a heavy sigh Naruto gave Korra a smile, "You just wanted a rematch, didn't you?"

She crossed her toned arms over her chest, "Would be lying if I said I didn't. Besides, someone as strong as you is bound to be good training if we go all out."

Naruto hummed, "No."

The instant he said that, everyone's jaw fell to the ground, and even Korra blinked in shock, "What?"

Naruto crossed his arms, "I don't want to fight using my full strength." He walked out of the dojo and into the alley, a dirt path that lead to the streets. He moved to a rock and picked it up, "This is the strength I use when sparring with my students." Here he punched the rock producing a dull, dry thud that was basically unheard, "This is the same strength I used in our fight." He punched the rock harder, making the sound reach their ears clear enough, "But this is what happens when I use all of my strength." And then the rock barely received a tap from his knuckles, which served to crack it like an egg that had fallen from a building.

Korra gaped, he didn't even seem to make any effort and yet he was holding a handful of pebbles from a solid rock. "I'll hand it to you, there's no way you're human."

Naruto smiled, "I'll take that as a compliment."

XXXXXX

The instant Tenzin arrived to the dojo via his trusty flying bison Oogi, he was more than a bit shocked when finding the doors opened to see Korra and a man standing before some kids, the children mimicking the man's moves while Korra mirrored them before the blond. What amazed the councilman was watching how the man moved, his feet going through katas as his arms danced in the wind to deliver chops that Korra intercepted with her own strikes in a slow motion. The kids – all working in pairs - seemed to have gotten more experience with this exercise as they moved faster than the water tribe girl as she and Naruto seemed to dance.

"You're trying to put too much force." Naruto said as he spun his foot around him, dragging the heel which Korra copied as their hands met in a mutual chop, "This is a counter move, meant to let an opponent come your way and either take out their weapon or…" here he put his arm under Korra's and linked them, pulling her arm behind her back in a way she could've been flipped or lowered as he made sure he didn't twist to the point it could be painful, "You can use their own strength against them, now's your turn. Just check how I hold your elbow."

"Like this?" Korra asked as she pushed Naruto's elbow up his head and brought it back, making him lean back.

The blond nodded, "Very good. You can also twist my elbow to the sides to throw me down and flip me in the air, but you need more practice to avoid hurling yourself with anyone you use this with."

Tenzin for his part stayed where he was, barely hidden in the corner of the alley as he watched what Naruto taught Korra. Simple fighting katas, all feet movement one learned as the basics, were used in their simplest of forms to counter and attack. And yet, there was no denying what he was seeing, "Those are the moves of an air bender, even if modified to allow attack there's no other explanation." He put a hand on his bearded chin, stroking his facial hair as he tried to reason this, "Uzumaki Naruto, huh? I believe Lin has ranted enough about him, but, who is this guy?"

"Sensei, there's a peeper!"

"Oh dear!" Tenzin cried as a little earth bending girl aimed a finger at him. He tried to run, blast himself into the air with his bending, but a shadow flew over him and landed before the councilman. In a single leap, the blond master had crossed over ten to fifteen yards to meet him face to face. Korra gaped at the insane physical strength the blond man had while the kids let out ooo's of awe.

Once finding his target, Naruto was unable to take a fighting stance, "Councilman Tenzin, I reckon." He said, raising an eyebrow as he looked confused at the man, "What are you doing here?" he asked, making a motion at Korra with a free hand, pointing at her the nearest exit to the alley.

The elder man coughed into his fist, "Well, I do recall my wife telling me Avatar Korra was seen around, and I wondered if she came to visit the dojo of the first friend she got here at Republic City."

Naruto chuckled, rubbing the back of his head, "Well, as much as I'd like a cute young lady coming to find me, I don't have the money or good clothes that'd make any lady come after little old me."

Tenzin gave him a stern look, "Do not play dumb, I've seen her in your- Where is she?" here he turned to find the dark skinned girl gone. He turned to the blond who, "He's gone!"

"Peeper!" the kids cried as one, laughing as they aimed a finger at the embarrassed father of soon to be four children. The man soon took off to find the Avatar and her new friend, who'd have some lengthy words with him.

Meanwhile, inside a small tea shop about street and a half away from the dojo, Naruto and Korra took the safety of their current seats with a sigh of relief. The master leaned on his seat across the girl who face-palmed, "Pema either sold me out or Tenzin was mad beyond reason from the start… Either way, it was fun training with you. Send flowers to my coffin." The blond laughed at the girl's sense of humor, but did keep an eye on the door in case Tenzin didn't think they were still running from him.

He chuckled at a memory, "I haven't done this since I was a kid… Angering some elder mentor, I mean." Korra looked at him, a bit perplexed. She expected Naruto to have been in problems and fights judging by his history with the triads, but here he seemed to have nothing but good memories, "I'd run around, pissing off the old man who was taking care of me by painting graffiti or pissing in the cereal of an arrogant brat over-glorified by the elders of my village. So many years and the guy still never got know it was me."

Korra let out a small laugh, "Sounds like you were a bigger brat."

Naruto made a face of mock hurt, "Hey, I was just an innocent kid trying to get around in a cruel, uncaring world… That was, until I found I was good at fighting…" he chuckled again, smiling warmly, "I wanted to be stronger, so I trained all by myself to show everyone I was alive… But now here I am, still getting into trouble but Chief Beifong's funnier to anger than the old farts at my village if I must be honest." He turned to her, rubbing the back of his head and looking a bit sheepish, "But look at me rolling my tongue when I'm supposed to listen to a lady. So, how was your life back there at the South Pole, Avatar?"

She smiled, "My parents were great, if somewhat overprotective at times. I got to train with some great masters… Heh, ever since I was little I loved proclaiming I was the Avatar and showing it to the world… But I must say, I never got to the point of doing graffiti or sabotaging someone's breakfast. But, truth be told, I always wanted to try messing with Tenzin's diet. Honestly, ever since I was a kid and he'd come to visit, there was some nagging in my head to prank him at least once."

He smirked, "Well, you came to the right master to teach you, my young and energetic disciple. Listen closely if you want tips…"

Korra smiled, this guy was truly fun.

XXXXXX

Later that day in Air Temple Island, Tenzin gasped as he found Korra in the kitchen helping Pema. He tried to stammer out his words, but after a quick glance from his wife that non-verbally told him, "You promised," he had to give up his anger and nagging as he knew he shouldn't break his word to his wife, not even if it was right to tell Korra to stay away from some guy who had the back-story of a delinquent. So he pretended, or rather tried to, that he didn't see Korra with that cheeky ruffian.

Said water tribe girl sighed as soon as the elder man was out, "You promised." She told the soon to be mother of four. "I mean, I'm glad you convinced him not to murder me, and I'm lucky I was able to escape to shrug everything as him seeing things, but this is betrayal." At least she had been given the details that for this extracurricular training Tenzin was forbidden from chewing her out or say or do anything without Pema's say so, the power of any pregnant woman who had a loving husband. That and the fact she was dying to gossip about this.

Pema smiled slyly at her, "Oh, but you didn't tell me any little details about this handsome martial arts master you've wanted to see." She elbowed the girl, smiling, "So, any details aside from the fact he's good looking?"

Korra blushed, "He's just a friend. I just met him two days ago, I'm not going to make a move on him… Besides, he's much of a nice guy, somewhat…" she mumbled the last word to herself, "Listen, he's good with kids, is really strong, and has a strange sense of humor. But the only reason I visit him is that he's better at teaching me than Tenzin."

Pema sighed, "Please, don't be so hard on him. I know you two don't get along well, but you two have this compromise so do try harder… Also, not enough details." She ended with a smile.

Korra sighed, but soon Ikki and Jinora ran in, smiling, "We did help you sneak around the White Lotus, so cough up the goods." The youngest sister said with her arms crossed and the innocent smile of a gangster.

The elder sister grinned at her, "You did want to go and meet him as well as train with him, he's either really good or really good looking."

Korra did consider how much of the special Uzumaki Spice she had hidden in her pocket to use in the noodles they would have for the dinner. It was a secret recipe Naruto had engraved in his mind and that could serve to make anyone be another person as he had proclaimed. But she wasn't that cruel, yet. If the girls kept trying to squeeze non-existent juicy news, she wondered what effects the bottle of special spices could have. To find out she did as the blond told her and poured some in Tenzin's bowl without anyone noticing. One mouthful of noodles and Korra watched as Tenzin's right eyebrow twitched, the next second his face became redder than a tomato as he panted, his mouth opened and letting out steam while his eyes were tearing from the powerful spice.

Everyone else looked at their bowls, still untouched, and pushed them aside, "I know you may like them, Korra, but it's the last time I buy these Dragon Noodles." She said to the girl who took a bite and liked the actual slightly spicy taste of her food recommended by Naruto.

"It's all right, more for me." She said with a grin.

XXXXXX

"So, why the gloom look?" Naruto asked as some time passed after the prank and he and Korra were back to practicing katas, but now with actual movements.

He was amazed at how quickly she developed as a martial artist, then again she was the Avatar and she had easily mastered three elements since she was a child. Here they were, practicing step by step, moving forward with the other students doing the same and throwing their arms in different positions after their master did the move in order to copy them. She would usually return home and try these moves with some of the three elements she mastered to have even more of a blast. Korra even got herself a uniform, but with the bonus of her blue shirt underneath to avoid the opening of her gi leave nothing to the imagination.

Just as the master extended his legs, leaning his weight on the one in front of him to get balance as he threw both fists simultaneously, one down to the gut and the other right on face level, Korra groaned as she replied, "Pro-bending." She said, as if that was supposed to explain it all. She let out an exasperated breath and explained further, "Tenzin hates it, says it's all a mockery of true bending. i am a fan for my part, and ever since I was a kid I wanted to see some true professional bending matches."

Naruto shouted, "Halt!" and as commanded all his students, even Korra, remained frozen in the last pose he did. He walked around, looking at the positions and helping the students, lifting a boy's arm further up and bending his elbow slightly for better recoil take. "Martial arts are martial arts, don't let anyone tell you otherwise." He said as he kept on helping his students in their pose, "Purists exist everywhere, they just need to learn there's no right way in having things be the same." He approached Korra and with his foot moved her left foot further back, "Anyone who knows how to punch and kick is a martial artist by definition. So don't let the councilman put you down because he doesn't agree."

She chuckled, "No… I'm not mad that he sees it as some silly game but, well, I really want to go." Korra looked down as the master returned to his previous position.

He stood tall again as he put his fists to his hips, elbows bent back, which his students copied, "Well, I have no idea how to help you there. Those matches aren't exactly cheap to see." He took a new pose, right arm extended forward and bent with the fist beside his head, the left fist still in his hip and his legs now spread, "But if you want to go, what's stopping you? Well, what stopped you from coming here?"

Korra chuckled, getting an idea as she followed the master's moves along the class. Once all the kids had gone home after thanking and bowing to their sensei, she stood back and changed back to her normal clothes using the bathroom. As she stepped out, Naruto noticed she was beaming, "Do you want to hang out?"

He rubbed the back of his head, "I am guessing you gave the pro-bending thing some thought."

She grinned, "You have no idea."

XXXXXX

"I am seriously considering you're a bad influence for me… You and I are gonna have some fun, aren't we?"

Naruto, in his civilian clothes, asked his partner. The martial artist didn't have much besides his fighting outfit to get around the streets of Republic City, but he managed to get something decent and by that he waited for Korra to come and get him in an alley while looking for triad crooks with clothes his size. A quick look at him and he didn't even have to start talking before a dozen of them came his way. Two to three good strikes rendered each of them unconscious and with him throwing them in a dumpster after admiring his new style of red shirt, black coat, gray pants, two-toned black and golden shoes, a bowler hat to keep his slicked back hair intact, and black gloves to keep his heavily scarred hands from view. He was considering what to tell Lin if the triads tried to press charges, but considering they attacked him, it was just him taking some retribution.

Korra smiled, "For a guy who lives in his own dojo, you sure know how to have a blast and dress good." She was still in her blue clothes, but considering there were some water tribe people in the city there weren't that many odd looks their way. "But the hat may be a bit too much." She said and yanked it off the master's head and put it on hers, "How do I look?" she struck an arrogant pose with a mock smug face that made him laugh.

"Not gangster enough, you still need to say something condescending to me for looking this good in my new clothes." He grinned and pulled at his new coat, making her snicker a bit before returning the hat which he smiled at, "Didn't you say it was a bit too much?"

Korra gave him a mock wise sage smirk, "Oh, my child, but you are the only one with a golden head. The huntress could notice it right away and send us to her cold, rusty prisons." She tried to sound mystic but her impression of a spiritual guide was hilariously bad.

In her office, however, Lin Beifong quickly considered if next time she met the Avatar she should lock her in a cell for interrogation but shot down the idea, still, "Why do I feel like that little brat and my biggest headache are going to do something that'll make me livid?" she asked herself, hand on her face to massage her temples with her fingers.

Back to the master and disciple, they finally arrived to the pro-bending arena. A quick exchange of smiles and the duo snuck around the crowd, jumped down the river into an ice path Korra created, and walked over to any open windows that looked into the sea. Naruto couldn't help but sigh at it, "Walking over water… Man, never thought it'd be this fun."

Korra noted something, he sounded melancholic, perhaps even nostalgic, but she shrugged it off as awe, "Well, get used to it. The Avatar's supposed to make great things happen so there'll be many new things for you to experience." The blond chuckle as he and the muscular girl stood below an opened window. Some flowing arm movements later and the two of them were propelled in their ice floor to the training room floor. The girl even made a 'get in' motion with her arms like Naruto was royalty, he laughed again and bowed politely before jumping in.

"It's nice, I never thought I'd get to see one of these matches. I could learn a few things to teach my students." He said, truly looking up to this.

The girl grinned, "I know, I want to see them fight, whatever they do could work wonders with my bending."

Naruto laughed, raising a fist, "Well, whatever the Avatar can dish out, I'll make up for it with this weapon of mine."

Korra gave him a challenging smirk, "Oh, just wait until I master all elements, then we shall see how much you can laugh, tough boy."

They 'glared' at each other, but soon let out a couple of chuckles and giggles. After remembering they weren't supposed to be there without a ticket, they looked for the arena until something different caught their eye. A very fancy training room filled with equipment for all three elements of the pro-bending champions rested there before their eyes. Naruto whistled in amazement and jealousy at the quality and amount of space they had. He calculated his dojo's floor covered about a quarter or a bit less than the whole room he and the now ecstatic Korra stepped in.

"Maybe you should give some professional fighting a chance." Korra commented, looking around, "I mean, with all the money they have to build this, you could make get an even bigger building for your dojo."

Naruto sighed, "You think I didn't try?" he groaned, rubbing the back of his bowler hat, "I've been in this city for quite a while, so I know that people like fights and enjoy the pro-bending. But they only care if it has bending and don't pay much attention to martial artists like me… unless it's in an illegal underground ring run by the triads, places in which guys like me are hated and nasty guys are hired to try to beat me up."

"I… I'm not even going to ask but, well, sorry about that." Korra said, feeling genuinely bad for the blond man's economical luck, but a bit perturbed at how much the triads hated his guts.

"You two! What're you doing here?!" the two cringed at the sound of a man who was certainly a guard. But just as the guy started to chew them out in order to get answers, someone else came in. It was a pro-bender with green parts in his protective gear, an earth bender. He was tall, buff, and had the green eyes of one, with short hair and a button nose.

"Hey, there you are!" the boy called them, waving as he walked to the duo, "Sorry about this, they're with me. They're old friends of mine and I invited them to this match." He said to the guard before smiling to the two, making them know he was a good guy from the start, "So, you didn't get lost? I was afraid my map wasn't good enough."

Korra smiled, "No, we got carried away."

Naruto mouthed a "Thank you" as he nodded. They found out their savior was Bolin who really earned their fondness with his enthusiastic and friendly attitude. He was a goof but in all honesty Naruto preferred people to be idiots, serious people either annoyed him or made him want to mess with them, a habit that ever since he was a kid still carried. Bolin for his part showed them around and even brought them to the bleachers where he and his big brother Mako, who made every sense in Naruto's head tell him to stay away from, would be before their fight with a fragile looking water bender. Korra was ecstatic and even praised the older bender, but Mako for his part wasn't the kind of person Naruto wanted to associate with when he dismissed the duo, he groaned at some bad memories when Mako talked like they were nuisances and stoically got into the fight with Korra wanting to get back at him but Naruto stopped her.

"You wanted to watch, let's watch. Besides, we can cheer for Bolin." He said with a smile which made her agree.

So they got to see the match and Naruto had to admit both brothers were good. Bolin was good at defense and offense, and Mako mostly went for the offense as he weaved around the attacks. But their partner wasn't even up to those skills. To be honest neither he nor Korra saw the guy capable of holding up in higher class fights with guys like Bolin and Mako in the mix. The fight ended in the victory of their new friends, the Fire Ferrets. But just as Korra barely kept herself from bouncing up and down and congratulated the duo, Mako once again dismissed them as nuisances which Korra retorted to by calling him on his attitude.

"Oh, you're still a jerk?" the girl asked with the same indifference as the fire bender.

"Let him be, it's not worth it." Naruto commented, knowing how these fights usually ended. He then turned to Bolin, "You gave a very good show, by the way."

Korra grinned, "True, hey, how about you show me a few tricks?"

Bolin rubbed the back of his head, "Sure, but, umm… I don't know how my earth bending would translate to-"

"She's the Avatar." Naruto cut him off to save him the embarrassment of falling in what he knew had to be a little prank from Korra, but unfortunately made the younger brother go into a slight fan boy mode. Well, to the guy's credit it was mostly shock for the earth bender while his fire bender sibling shrugged it off. Naruto was having some déjà vu with Mako. Cold pretty boy who shrugged off a girl's compliments really didn't sit well with the blond. But he and Korra were allowed to go with Bolin to the training room where he put on his own protective gear and even gave Korra a spare.

However, as Korra practiced her earth-bending with Bolin proving to be a good teacher, Mako approached the still hat wearing blond, "She may be the Avatar, but who are you?"

The blond smiling, keeping a hat in his newly acquired bowler hat, "Little old me? I believe you should buy me dinner first."

Mako felt his eye twitching at the blond's attitude, "You aren't from the city hall and yet you're obviously in touch with the Avatar. So, are you her fire-bender teacher or what?"

Naruto looked at the red shirt, "Oh, this? Well, I'm a non-bender. I just happened to meet and befriend Korra when she walked around my place. Really nice gal, you should try to be perhaps more of an idiot."

Mako's right eyebrow arched higher than normal, "Excuse me?"

The blond laughed, "That's the thing. You're too serious… I bet you have problems in the toilet with that kinda attitude. I mean, your first reaction to seeing us wasn't even a wave but to question why we didn't leave? Please, we wanted to congratulate your brother. Or were you jealous?"

Mako growled, "Forget I asked… Hey, see you upstairs, bro." he waved at Bolin who waved back.

Korra raised a brow, "You two live in here?"

"I live in my dojo." Naruto commented.

Bolin grinned, "Really? That'd be cool, living in my own training room… Um… Oh man, I didn't even ask your name… Oh… sorry?"

Naruto laughed again, "Awfully polite, aren't you? Well, name's Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki, master of my own still unnamed fighting style."

Bolin's eyes grew wide as saucers as he walked to the blond, "You're the guy called the Most Powerful Non-Bender! I've heard triads curse your name because you could beat up their best benders! I… I'd like to fight with you!"

**XXXXXX**

**And that's my rap! So, I'd like to say I'm sorry for the cliffhanger but considering I love seeing you squirm… Nah, just kidding. Sorry for the cliffy, but it's been a long, tiresome day for me. I promise to give you guys a good show next chapter. And if you have noticed, yes, I will take Naruto and Korra's relationship slow. Here you see them as good friends, and sooner or later, well, you shall see. Hope you like it because I am actually enjoying this slow approach for a change. I know I'm making it too obvious they'll be together and work some clichés like the denials – even one reader complained about it – but for what it is as a simple and cheesy slow romance I am actually having fun with them exchanging dialogue and being friends. Yes, Asami will still be in and she'll also get to know Naruto like Korra here and… well, you shall see how it goes. I will not spoil things.**

**And, as I've said, I'll keep the bashing to a bare minimum like I've showed in here, all so the plot can advance without blind hatred despite how much I want to slap Mako for bouncing from girl to girl into whoever is convenient for him.**

**Swordslinger out!**


	4. Chapter 4

I OWN NOTHING

Did you know Naruto can't be nice? I also didn't know, but it seems some guys say Naruto must be dark, gritty and badass like Kratos from God of War. So do as me and ignore those who dislike friendly people.

**XXXXXX**

Man-to-ferret

"Not to be rude, but, you do know who I am? I mean, you recognized the name and everything." Naruto said after blinking a few times in the large training room of the pro-bending arena. His new friend Bolin had just challenged him to a match, him, a man who could shatter rocks with a punch as Korra had once said. Now, the blond wasn't one to turn down the chance for a good match, unless he cared for the well-being of person he'd fight. If he and Bolin truly went one-on-one… he really didn't want to leave the guy who helped him and Korra watch their first pro-bending match with most of his bones broken if he went all out.

The cheerful young pro-bender chuckled, pumping up his biceps, "Hey, don't worry, I can take a lot of punishment well. Besides, wouldn't you like to have some good publicity for you." Now Naruto started to like more the guy who wrapped his arm around his shoulders and used the other to aim forward at nothing at all, "Think of it, fans, fans everywhere. Not only that, but the money for glorious amounts of noodles…"

The blond was sold!

But Korra was not, "Wait, Naruto, what about the time you said you didn't want to fight me?" she asked with her arms on her hips, "You showed me what you can do if you go all out, so are you sure you really want to leave Bolin's insides looking like putty?"

The earth bender grinned and pulled his pro-bending helmet over his head, "Don't worry, that's what this gear is for. I get hit constantly by boulders fired like cannon balls, jets of fire, and also annoying water whips – no offense, Korra ("Non taken," replied the water bender.) – on almost a daily basis. This baby is what keeps me still looking good." He put his helmet to his hip with an arm keeping it in place as he flashed Korra a pearly white smile that made Naruto wonder what the earth bender would've looked with a green jumpsuit and overly hairy eye brows.

"Okay, just for the record..." Naruto said as he moved to a pile of earth disks that the pro-benders used in their matches, all of them put in pillars of about fifteen to twenty. He singlehandedly lifted a pile on top of another, making a single pillar. "…I can do this…" He raised his right hand as a fist beside his head and punched. Not only did his punch go through the earth, but he managed to make a perfect hole in the pillar without knocking any of them down. "…and many other nasty things if I get serious." The blond concluded as he pulled his hand from the other side of the hole.

Korra and Bolin blinked, but the latter got a huge grin, "This is going to be sweet!" he cheered, "The fans will love this fight!" he pumped a fist, his eyes closed in excitement as he pictured the people cheering for him and Naruto to duke it out.

The Avatar raised a brow, "Okay, let's give credit where it's due, you're gutsier than I am… or crazier."

"Hey, it's not fun if you don't take risks." Bolin said, giving her the peace sign, "Besides, I live for the fans. Ever since I entered my first match and won, I can't live without those cheers. Whether I win or lose, I know I got people backing me up and that makes it worth giving my all. Granted…" he turned to Naruto and gave him a fierce smile, "I'm not planning to lose anytime."

The blond chuckled, before going into fully blown well-humored laughter, "Okay, okay! Hahahahaha… You remind me of a good friend of mine… only saner."

So after that was said and done, and Korra learned a few more moves from her new friend and her master, both who compared tricks and tried mixing a few while exchanging a few techniques like Bolin's guard and weaving and Naruto's katas to avoid numerous groups and wide attacks, the match was set. Korra herself felt a bit pressed about who to cheer, but settled for cheering for both no matter the result, hey, if one lost she'd still cheer for him because they were both nice guys.

With just a few calls to his fans Bolin managed to get a decent crowd, and even the announcer from the pro-bending arena had somehow managed to get himself a make-shift booth with a megaphone to do his job, even if for free. The arena, however, was a large courtyard, with several people cheering from the windows of their apartments or offices in the building surrounding the fight, while bystanders stopped to try to get a place around. As said before, the announcer got himself a makeshift booth, atop a small food stand with the owner shrugging off his stay thanks to the match bringing costumers.

Korra for her part stood between her friends, Bolin in his borrowed pro-bending gear, and Naruto in his dark orange hakama and white gi, with his hands still protected by his red bandages. For the occasion she wore a blue hood over her head to keep her identity concealed, and Tenzin away from chewing her out for this escapade. It was needed so her mentor wouldn't send her back to the South Pole for refereeing the match. Partly because she wanted to see the match in the best seats, and mostly for the fact that either of the two could get hurt.

"Ladies and gentlemen, a fight we had never thought possible is about to take place." The announcer cheered, "Without any sponsors, and just the sake of fun, not to mention the possibility of showing off what they have, it's our favorite pro-bending rookie, the younger half of the duo who many elite challengers fear, and the earth bender who managed to create a defense that's given other rookies problem breaking through only to get sent out of the ring with a boulder in their gut… It's… Boooooo… LIIIIIN!" The man cheered and the audience exploded in cries of the earth bender's name, who pumped up his fists in the air, his arms up as he turned to look at the audience with a grin, "And who'd be his opponent if none other than the non-bender with the strength of a real beast, teacher of many young and energetic children in self-defense with a style that has no name, the man who is considered by many triad benders as the strongest fighter in Republic City… Give it your fall for… Uzumaki… NAAAARUTOOO!"

Said blond only raised an arm, closing his eyes to hear the cheers better with a wide grin. "You two love every second of this, aren't you?" Korra asked.

Bolin nodded, "Yeah, but I have a little nitpicking to do." He turned to Naruto, "For a guy so concerned about my well-being, that dress won't be a good armor."

Naruto sighed tiredly, his face losing his initial cheer, "It's not a dress, these are hakama pants." He once again pulled at said pants to show the legs were set apart.

"You'd look better in another set of pants, in a cell." Said a voice from behind, its icy tone made Korra and Naruto cringe. Their heads slowly turned to meet Chief Beifong in all her stern, disapproving glory with her hands on her hips and her foot tapping for an explanation, "I'd like an explanation, but everything I've heard so far is true." She then turned to the referee who was forcibly pulling the hoodie over her face, "You look too familiar for me to not have locked you."

Korra made an attempt to cover her voice with a throaty, gruff one that failed to fool the chief, "Who, me? I'm just a fan of these two-"

"Don't you dare think self-defense will serve as an excuse, Avatar. Trust me, I've got enough out of the master of that excuse." She said with her ever stern gaze aimed at the blond now.

Naruto tried his best charming smile, "Come on, chief, it's all for fun. We're not fighting or destroying anything, we're just a couple of dudes wanting to have fun beating each other senseless."

"I know." The woman said before just walking off, "Sadly I can't do a thing since this fight counts as a street show… and I'm off-duty. What I will do is have some popcorn and enjoy the match."

"Did she just… sulk?" Korra asked, her right eyebrow and eyelid higher than her left.

"I think she's either sad we didn't invite her… or disappointed this time she managed to get on time before the fight but couldn't stop it." Naruto commented.

The chief of police stopped, before slamming her right foot on the ground and raising her arms up and then set them down. In just a second, the ground was lowered with the two fighters and the referee now being in a pit most likely eight foot deep with one set of rocky stairs that the chief of police used to step out. Just as soon as she was at the edge of the pit, looking down on the trio, did she speak with her icy tone.

"I came here to make sure the civilians are safe. Usually when you fight earth benders the results are buildings getting remodeled, Uzumaki." The chief said.

The blond grinned at her, waving, "You sure you just didn't want to help us out?" her response was showing him one of her wrist blades, "Guess not." He said with a chuckle.

"She actually wanted to help us out?" Korra asked, feeling more disbelief than before.

Naruto smiled, "She's a good person, when she wants to be. Hell, she used to do things without following the rules. If you lived in Republic City and know of what she did one time councilman Tenzin angered her, you know what she's capable of."

"Do I really wanna know the details?" Korra asked, thinking it'd be a boring fight between old people that got over-dramatized. She had no idea how accurate she was.

"Um, aren't we supposed to beat each other senseless?" Bolin asked as he put on his helmet. Naruto nodded and got into a simple stance with both fists up, and Bolin mimicked him with his arms forward for his trademark balanced stance. "Still, will you be okay with only your clothes?"

"I've gotten hit by worse things than boulders, I can also take the pain." The blond replied, "Besides, shouldn't you be worried about why your brother hasn't come say hi?"

Bolin shrugged, "I tried to get him to see the fight, but all he said was-"

"Let me guess, he brooded and said 'whatever' with an uncaring tone?" Naruto said, knowing Mako's type because of experience.

Bolin blinked, "Wow, you read minds or something?"

"Personal experience, not with a brother but a-"

"Will both fighters get on with the show?" Korra asked before they got lost in their tracks. The two nodded and stepped closer while she raised an opened hand while the crowd got close to the edge of the pit-arena, Lin calmly throwing popcorn in her mouth as she stood in first line with none of the civilians daring to bother the woman who terrified most thugs in their city more than the blond master annoyed her or them.

And as soon as Korra lowered her hand, both combatants jumped back to get some proper distance. Bolin raised his hands and created a large wall which he punched, twice, sending rocks at Naruto. The blond stood where he was, his arms still up but now with his palms opened. He let the first projectile come near him and swatted it, using its own force and speed to change its course and let it nailed into a wall of the pit which made him thank the chief internally for thinking of the spectators' safety. Korra remained behind with a pouch of water ready to stop either fighter before they got too much into their match.

The second earth projectile came the blond martial artist's way and he slammed into it with his shoulder, using his legs to move forward, spreading them to absorb the hit and break the rock with some dirt staining his gi. Seeing from the holes in the wall how the strikes wouldn't work so directly Bolin changed tactics. The young pro-bender spun around the wall he made and put his arms parallel to the ground, before doing forward chop motions with them, sending smaller tiles at the blond. Now Naruto grunted as he kept his arms up but with half closed fists. Using his knuckles and the back of his hands he swatted as many projectiles as he could, watching their trajectory and using every bit of his arms to block as many tiles he could simultaneously. All the while, he was being pushed backwards.

Lin swallowed her third mouthful of popcorn, "Not bad, I can see what he's doing."

Bolin grinned as he had Naruto inches from the wall on the pit and stopped his shooting. Naruto swung his arms to his sides to take off the dirt and shake the numbness caused from so many projectiles hitting him repeatedly, and head something behind him. He watched Bolin's motions as he threw both arms behind him, and just as he did so Naruto threw himself to the ground, using one hand to steady himself up and keeping his legs ready to jump forward. In that one second he had avoided a rocky pillar that shot from the wall behind him.

He grunted and looked at Lin, "Chief, you sure you're not putting money on either of us?"

The chief grabbed some more popcorn as she replied, "I've made you an arena, you should have thought about what kind of fighter you'd face if you chose this place."

Naruto cringed, she was right. He did give Bolin the advantage since the courtyard they were in was made entirely of dirt. He didn't let that stop him from upper-cutting the pillar above his head. The audience let out surprised sounds as the pillar turned into a boulder that flew several feet over the pit. Naruto jumped up just as the boulder fell down and spun in the air, lashing a leg at the large piece of earth and sending it flying at Bolin. Due to the break-neck speed of the projectile Bolin knew he'd have trouble deflecting it so he raised his arms forward into the sky, shooting several spikes from the ground to not only catch the boulder but, with a grin on his face, a quick spin, and throwing a punch forward, he returned the heavy projectile to the now landing Naruto.

The blond raised a foot in the air, slamming it down with such force he made the ground tremble a bit as he spread his legs, and then he punched forward. Korra observed the punch carefully, watching the perfect corkscrew motion that she had seen him use once against a jet of flames. But there was something different, the force behind Naruto's punch was just monstrous to the point everyone could see how his fist broke through the wind, making the gales around his arm spiral from his knuckles, like a hurricane was in his hands.

"Rasenken!" the blond shouted as his knuckles touched the boulder. What happened next was too shocking for words. The boulder remained inert where it was, connected to Naruto's fist, but the other side opposite to where he was exploded outside like something tried to get out. Bolin managed to react quickly and catch the flying debris, but was still stunned at watching the hole in the boulder: it was like a giant drill had dug into it, the shape of a spiral getting smaller the closer it got to the blond master's knuckles.

"Spiral… Fist…?" Korra asked in shock, before feeling her every fiber shiver, "I got to learn that move!" she cheered as she pumped her arms with a large grin.

The announcer roared to the crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen, there it is! The legendary punch that Naruto managed to create by himself in order to become the strongest man alive! The legendary Rasenken, also dubbed the Maelstrom Fist, a technique that rumors say Naruto himself made when he went to the seas to punch the waters with such force he created a powerful maelstrom, and which strength is enough to shatter metal and extinguish any fire-bender's power! Nothing's ever come close in the world of martial arts, that's some dedication to the art!"

Bolin whistled, "That's some neat punch you got there." He then returned to his fighting stance, "But that means I'll have to be more on the offensive too."

Naruto grinned, "That's a good idea." He raised up a fist and brought it down to the ground. Instantly, the earth shook like an earthquake, Korra and even Lin had trouble not falling while a few of the spectators fell on top of another for support. The result was that from Naruto's fist a massive crack raced at Bolin, shooting up pieces of rocks and dirt at him. The earth bender slammed his feet on the ground and made a large pillar that shot him into the air over the projectiles and close to Naruto. The airborne pro-bender swung his arms to his sides to gather the debris around him and the blond before shooting the rocks at him. To his shock Naruto remained where he was, he only weaved around the strikes as now Bolin realized one mistake he made, he was falling down towards the blond. But he wasn't giving up that easily.

As he fell down, and giving a loud yell, Bolin gathered all the earth he could around his arms to make rocky gauntlets, making sure to condense them to the point Naruto wouldn't be able to break his next strike so easily. The blond remained where he was all the time and watching Bolin flying at him responded by swinging an arm down, using the momentum to throw it skywards for a devastating upper-cut. Their fists collided, with Naruto's bandages being torn off and Bolin's gauntlet breaking. The young rookie celebrity tried to punch the blond again as both backed away a few feet, but as he got close to the blond said master spun around, ducking under his punch and soon swung his leg out, spinning it around and slamming the heel on the back of Bolin's head, knocking him down but not out.

"Bolin!" Korra cried, racing to him, to the point she slid on her knees to grab his head, take off his helmet, and wave her hand before his eyes, "You okay?"

All the green eyed fighter could muster was an, "Ow…" followed by his eyes focusing on Naruto and grinning, "Hey… You held back with that last punch, before kicking my noggin."

Naruto sighed, "He's okay." The blond then helped his new friend up. "And what made you think I actually wanted to harm you?"

"And it seems the match is over, folks!" the announcer cheered, "It seems the title of Strongest Man of Republic City holds true for Naruto, our winner!" The audience cheered, with Naruto not sure what to do until Bolin elbowed him and with a smile raised up his arm, allowing the blond to know what it felt to bask in glory before throwing up the other arm.

Korra clapped, smiling at her friends' good attitude, "I sure got some weird friends."

"Indeed." Said someone behind Korra that made her every muscle go tense, "Now, I promised Pema not to get mad and not send you to the South Pole… But considering I am mad beyond reason to the point I'd request Lin's help to catch you, a favor which is not cheap, trust me, I am doing a lifetime performance to keep myself calm."

As those words were said by none other than the councilman Korra considered the only man she could fear in the city, Lin smirked as she brought up her arms and the arena was lifted from the ground, once again turning the courtyard into what it was rather than a pit for street fights. Both of Korra's new friends turned with cringes on their faces as they saw the stern look on Tenzin's face.

"Did you really think I'd let you off the hook?" Lin said to the master with her arms crossed, "However, as much as I'd like to keep my promise that I'd make sure you faced your consequences if you did something reckless… It is true, this was a street show and a fight you decided to have in a public area without harming anyone or anything, so you're free to go." she admitted with a sigh, making Naruto's inner self sigh too, in relief though. The chief then turned to Tenzin and the now un-hooded Korra, "I've kept my word, she's all yours."

"Tenzin, look, I…" Korra started to try to defend herself, "I really needed to train and vent out some of my anger, and I've learned great moves, but… well, I didn't get to master air-bending yet, so I had this idea that-"

To her surprise, Tenzin raised a hand before turning to the blond master, "I came here to ask you both a question. Naruto, wasn't it?" said blond nodded, "That style you use, the way you move, even if it's used for the offensive, I can recognize some patterns in your stances. The stances of an air bender."

"What's your point, councilman?" Naruto asked, making Tenzin sigh.

Tenzin stroked his beard, "As much as I'd like to ground Korra for disobeying, I did notice that upon training with you she has started to get used to my own training, even if still failing she is getting the hang of it. The way you fight is much more offensive than a true air bender's and yet I saw you not only move like the wind, but even use it with your brute force in that legendary fist of yours."

"Umm… in shorter words?" Naruto asked with a sheepish smile.

The elder man palmed his face, gave a sigh, but went straight to the point, "I… I…" he turned around, trying to think, but Lin was there to stop him with her arms crossed and a stern look on her face the kind an ex uses to blackmail you. So he turned around, swallowed his pride, and spoke, "I'd like your help in training Korra."

Said girl beamed, "You mean it?!" she almost bounced, her hands balled next to her face from the emotion.

"That, and I wonder what kind of style it is he uses." The councilman said, "It's like a very primitive air-bending style mixed with your own street brawling."

Naruto pumped a fist, "Okay, I'll see what I can do to help you both… However…" he grinned and turned at Bolin, "My friend here is also helping me in training Korra, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to ask that she also practices pro-bending."

"What? That mockery of true bending?" Tenzin asked, now angry.

Bolin stood up, aiming a finger at the elder, "Hey, I get a living out of it, and it was good enough to face this primitive and mixed air bending Naruto has."

Said blond grinned, "See? It also helped me do a few of the moves you saw in our fight. As a true martial artist, I welcome any new technique I can learn to truly become stronger."

Tenzin sighed, massaging his temples with the thumb and index finger of one hand, "I'll… have to consider it. For now, I'd like to see Korra mastering air bending as soon as possible, after all, she IS the Avatar." He then turned to the girl with a more conservative face, "But there are some things we need to talk about how you escaped the White Lotus-"

"Pema and your daughters helped me." Korra said quickly to lessen whatever punishment could come her way.

Tenzin growled, looking away from the group, "Criminey, figures she'd do something like this like when we were…" he decided to shut up, considering Lin could hear him.

XXXXXX

In short, time passed by as Korra learned from Tenzin, Bolin and Naruto. When brought to Air Temple Island to discover what was behind the blond master's air bending style, said blond met and somehow managed to befriend Tenzin's kids. He did hear the girls question Korra about him, but before he could listen to any specific details the two girls would disappear, either giggling as they ran from the Avatar, or getting locked in another door by said young woman.

When presented with the spinning panels, a test Korra loathed to just think about even after she burned it, he passed it in a certainly unique way. Tenzin watched in amazement as Naruto just raced at the spinning pieces of wood, his torso leaning forward, his arms behind him like they were just getting dragged, and as he neared the first piece of ancient wood, he spun on his heels but didn't stop running with his bizarre pose. It wasn't like he tried to be the wind, it was like he controlled the wind to do his bidding. When meditating Korra would marvel at how Naruto actually focused on everything around him, even if she wondered if he slept through the meditation sessions like Meelo, which sadly left her even more bored since her blond friend wouldn't cheer things up.

Naruto even presented a new technique to teach Korra, "Do you want to know how to throw a proper punch?" he asked her and the kids while Tenzin watched in interest. The blond approached a large tree, pressed his hand on it to feel its life, and slammed his palm. Leaves started to flow down and Naruto took his stance with his back pressed on the tree, his arms up and his hands in loose fists. Just as the first leaf neared his eyes, his left fist shot itself in a blur and captured it, and soon he managed to repeat the process, capturing ten leaves in the span of a few seconds with his left hand.

"How did you get them not to fall? Because Korra would surely love to know that and more." Ikki said, looking up at the handsome man with a smile, making Korra growl.

"That's what I'll be teaching all of you, even you councilman." The blond said, even nodding to the father. Soon the four air benders and the Avatar got near a tree and copied Naruto's stance, "The trick is to feel the air moving through your fingers." He jabbed, making a sound of air dashing, "You have to keep your hands in loose fists, and…" he elbowed his tree, a few leaves falling which he caught with ease, before showing in a slower motion how to caught more by slightly opening his hand, using the wind between his fingers to keep the leaves he had inside his hand, and caught his next leaf. "…just go how you feel comfortable."

The others nodded and did the same, only that Korra kicked the tree while the air benders used the wind to knock some leaves. With some repetition, Ikki, Meelo and Jinora managed to catch from ten to twenty leaves each, Tenzin caught all the ones he could, and Korra, sadly, only got three. It was obvious she wanted to use more strength than skill, but considering she managed to catch more than two leaves, it proved she was indeed learning how to move around the air.

"I guess that's enough for today." Tenzin said, "Pema is cooking, and I guess you will return home, Naruto."

The blond smiled, "Sure, I'll be back here at the same hour, but Korra can visit my dojo with the other kids, your kids can come too… But you'd have to pay." He ended with a grin.

"Why not let him stay for dinner?" Korra asked with a smile.

Naruto looked at her a bit dumbfounded, "Not to be rude, but why? I mean, this is a nice place and some of the training methods you have are great for me to learn a thing or two to teach my students at my dojo, but I don't really want to interrupt in another family's dinner."

Korra smirked at him, her hands on her hips as she leaned to look at her blond friend in the eye, "Come on, Naru, you're the man who convinced Tenzin to let me join the Fire Ferrets and help Bolin, I'm sure we can break a few more rules and have you enjoy Pema's cooking."

He looked at her eyes, and could only give in, "Well, I did wonder how good that vegetarian food is, and my kidneys may appreciate less salt for once."

Naruto had to admit she had a point in what she said. In his mind he could still see himself there in the bleachers in his "borrowed" outfit, cheering for Korra and Bolin when the girl started to move like a true air bender around her opponent's attacks and knocked them out. He almost choked on his popcorn when Tenzin himself jumped from his seat beside him and aimed two fingers at the girl, cheering loudly to the point he had to buy Naruto some grade A ramen to keep the secret from others. Now Korra was a formal member of the Fire Ferrets, and kept on showing how her skills grew with every passing fight and training session.

For the blond, it was fun to pass time with the Avatar, for Korra, it was great to have a real friend.

**XXXXXX**

**And that's my rap!**

**Boy was that a long fight! Trust me, it wasn't easy to write but I feel happy with it.**

**So, Korra got herself a new teacher to help her air-bending, and while I admit I skipped a few points of the canon plot, I guessed I could be forgiven since I know most of you who read this fic don't really like Mako. But, well, I didn't really want to just copy-paste dialogue left and right, I wanted to make this chapter original and while no story is perfect, I am glad I allowed Korra to have proper training with two good friends.**

**And yes, I like Bolin, he's such a nice guy that it makes me want to punch Mako for basically taking Korra from him when he knew his little brother was after her. So I'm gonna be nice to him, and have Naruto help him with a certain crazy girl… Yes, I do like Esna, call me weird but the cold water tribe girl is cool in my book. Trust me, Bolin won't be treated as her slave. I do have Naruto here to make things easier for the good guys as a good support character that kicks ass.**

Also, just to throw you off of what I could really do next chapter:

**-OMAKE-**

Bolin was at a loss, here he had enough money in his money jar after just collecting one single, miserable yuang. The job sounded easy, just guard the triads and he'd be home free with enough money so his brother and he could keep competing, perhaps even pay Korra for her help, and even real food for them the likes those fancy people eat. But before he could reply, someone else did.

"Is there a problem?" Naruto asked the gangster before the acrobatic fire ferret and its master. The instant the gangster saw the blond he ran off with his tail between his legs, fell into his car and drove off while burning rubber.

"That's normal with you, isn't it?" Bolin asked in a dead pan.

"Every four out of five gangsters stay for a fight, so kinda." Naruto replied.

Bolin looked at the handful of bills in his jar, counting the money. "Oh man, still not enough, just five thousand."

"You're really making money with this show?" Naruto asked as he petted Pabu the fire ferret.

"Well, it's a start, and now I'm only 24999 yuangs away from the fee." Bolin said as he pocketed the cash.

Naruto hummed, "Say, you wouldn't happen to have a spare costume, would you?"

Bolin looked up at him with a raised brow, "Why?"

The blond grinned, "I have an idea to help you get the money, considering Korra's my student and friend, you're also my friend, and I need a friend to help me in this."

XXXXXX

Moments later, in a dark underground tunnel system with some shady gangsters walking around shooting glances and glares at whoever came near them, two figures moved forward. One was Bolin with his large ringmaster fake mustache, fake long sideburns, and an improvised suit consisting of a jacket with Pabu acting as a trophy hanging around his shoulders, some chains hanging from his pants, and steel-toed boots. The person at his side had a far stranger and out of place outfit consisting of a tight full-body black suit with red boots, a green karate belt, white elbow-length gloves, a yellow scarf and a skull mask which only had three spikes as the upper fangs and no lower jaw.

Watching some gangsters pass a massive bouncer, the duo followed suit. The bouncer, a gorilla in a suit who held up his hand to show a fireball, growled at the duo, "Who are you?"

Bolin spoke up in a forced and heavily accented voice, "My dear sir, do you know who thou speaketh to?! This is... THE SKULL!" The earth bender motioned to his partner in an overly dramatic fashion and 'The Skull' raised his arms to pump his biceps, giving a "RRAAAARRRRRGHHHH!" to which Bolin continued, "And I am his manager, The Slick Ferret. And that's The Slick Ferret, all together like a band's name."

The bouncer gave the duo a raised brow but let them pass, "Enjoy your fight then... just don't die."

As they walked in, Bolin sighed in relief and pulled the disguised Naruto closer, "What are we doing here? I know you've said this kind of place has the money but… come on, underground fighting with the triads?"

Naruto whispered to him, "This is an underground ring for more than just the triads, some street thugs enter to get some money. I used to be brought here, mostly because of some angry gangsters trying to lure me into a trap, and beat the snot out of some of their best fighters before the chief interfered and the security was tightened. They haven't used the place in a while, but right now with the police thinking this place is empty they gathered around."

"And why are they not busted yet?" the disguised pro-bender asked as he and his partner walked down a badly lit hall to a large set of crimson doors where noise could be heard.

"These are triads, these guys are organized crime, with organized being the key word, which is why I needed you. If they find out who I am, we run like our tails are on fire. No pun intended, Pabu." he caressed the fire ferret and then turned to his friend, "You still have the money that gangster gave you, right? Well, the easy way to make money here is to bet it on your own fighter, and have the guy win."

Bolin beamed as he knew what Naruto could do, "And since you're insanely strong, we're gonna become stinking rich until my grandchildren use yuangs as handkerchiefs."

Naruto shook his head, "No, I'll leave before things get chaotic and we run off. These ARE the triads, do you think they'll be happy if we hog all the money?"

Bolin gulped, now aware that the help Naruto wanted was back-up manpower. But he forgot something to ask, "How do you know all of this?"

Naruto sighed, "Let's just say getting a dojo wasn't easy, so when I needed the money they didn't ask for managers to sponsor and back up the fighters to make sure they were who they said."

Now Bolin understood that by back-up Naruto meant manpower for a war.

**XXXXXX**

**Swordslinger out!**


End file.
